"It seems you've recovered. How was it? Any insights?" Dain saw the smile on Lumine's face and knew she was fine.
"It's very blurry. The images were too fast; I couldn't see anything clearly." Lumine clutched her forehead. These memories, at most, only brought back some past experiences.
To say they would help her find her brother, the effect would likely be limited.
"In that case, didn't you get any insights at all?" Paimon spread his hands. The sun was already setting, and they had been busy all day without finding anything.
No news of the Abyss Order, no trace of Lumine's brother. It seemed today was just a full tour of Mondstadt.
"You can't say that. At least you know your brother still exists here and has been to Mondstadt. That's a good insight."
"Dain, you're right. I will definitely figure out these memories!"
Lumine nodded. Feeling her brother's aura after so long made all her efforts today worthwhile.
"Do you want this? Maybe if you touch it every day, you'll find your brother's traces."
Yu Jin held up a dandelion he had pulled out by the roots. It was already miserable enough after being stepped on by a Ruin Guard, and now Yu Jin had pulled it out. It was no exaggeration to say it had a tough life.
"No." Lumine looked at the dandelion, which was practically withered, and shook her head.
The moment she regained her senses, that familiar aura near the cliff disappeared. Now, this place was no different from anywhere else for Lumine, perhaps just a bit windier.
"Heh heh, your journey has just begun. Such insights will surely become more and more frequent."
Dain looked up at the fiery sunset. He turned around and said to everyone, "Everyone, let's part ways here. My time with you… was quite enjoyable."
Dain turned back and showed a smile, then transformed into a blue afterimage and burrowed into the earth.
Unfortunately, he hadn't gone too far before Yu Jin pulled him out.
"Since it was enjoyable, stay a bit longer!" Yu Jin braced his hands on the ground, then lifted with force.
"Rumble!"
The earth seemed to be held captive by something. A square, rather thick piece of ground was lifted by Yu Jin.
And Dain fell out from the bottom of the lifted earth.
Recovering his body from the blue afterimage, Dain was now shrouded in shadow.
In the distance were Yu Jin, with his arms raised high, holding up the entire piece of earth, and behind him, the dumbfounded Lumine and Paimon.
"What do you want?" Dain clenched his fists. He wanted to punch someone, even if that person might be his fellow countryman.
"Come out, I'm tired, I don't want to hold it anymore." As he spoke, Yu Jin's arms began to tremble, and grains of sand fell from the sky, many of them hitting Dain's head.
Seeing this, Dain had no choice but to jump out of the deep pit in the ground.
"Rumble!"
The piece of ground, lifted by Yu Jin in an illogical manner, fell back down. Aside from some overturned soil at the edges, at a glance, it looked almost the same as before it was lifted.
"We meet again!" Yu Jin clapped his hands and said to the expressionless Dain.
Dain was truly a bit numb now. He felt that Yu Jin was hiding more than he had imagined.
He had just been traversing the ley lines. Over the past few centuries, he had relied on this power to track Abyss Heralds.
This ability had never failed, not even in the dangers specifically set by the Abyss Order.
But now, he had been intercepted by Yu Jin. And in such a simple way.
"Cutting off the ley lines… It's a big world, full of wonders."
Dain traveled through the ley lines, which had no physical form; they were more like virtual Veinsformed by countless memories flowing beneath the earth.
Lifting the earth would not affect the ley lines at all; otherwise, the Archon War would have been enough to completely disrupt the flow of ley lines throughout Teyvat.
As for the result of completely disrupted ley lines, Dain estimated it would not be much different from the great disaster five hundred years ago.
"Come on, I'll take you to meet more people." Yu Jin patted Dain's shoulder and pulled him towards Mondstadt City.
Being alone underground for too long can lead to depression, and Yu Jin felt Dain showed signs of it—because he always had a stern face, as if someone owed him Mora.
"It's meaningless. I am not like you. Acquaintances will only bring me more pain." Dain refused without thinking.
At the beginning of his journey, he also met many friends, but eventually, his friends turned to dust, leaving Dain alone.
So, from then on, unless necessary, Dain generally did not interact with people on the surface.
Moreover, sometimes he would stay underground for several years or even longer, and by the time he returned to the surface, everything had changed beyond recognition.
"What's more, since there's no activity from the Abyss Order on the surface, it means they're plotting something underground."
"I must investigate and stop them!" Dain clenched his fists, resolute.
"What's this? Do you remember what I told you?"
"What?"
Dain always let Yu Jin's words go in one ear and out the other. As for what he had actually said… sorry, Dain didn't know.
"More friends, more paths."
Yu Jin narrowed his eyes and placed his hands on Lumine and Dain. At the same time, his consciousness began to connect with the ubiquitous Golden Tree roots beneath the earth… In the dark deep pit beneath the earth was the relocated headquarters of the Abyss Order.
Teyvat has had many civilizations, both on and beneath the earth. Finding some ruins as a headquarters was simply too easy.
"Clink!"
The sound of gravelbeing pushed aside came, but it didn't attract anyone's attention. Although it was quiet underground, the sound of dim bonfires Burning never stopped for a moment.
The sound of gravelwas very faint, covered by the sound of the Burning bonfires.
Under the dim firelight, a golden branch emerged, but it quickly retracted, as if struck by someone.
Then the light of the branch dimmed and completely disappeared into the dark background.
At the tip of the branch, an eyeball protruded. If anyone saw this scene, they would probably be scared half to death.
The eyeball was rotating, and its pupil was constantly changing, as if searching for the optimal structure to see things even in the dark.
"Where is this?" Lumine's voice echoed. She seemed to have entered a strange state, much like dreaming.
But this dream was collective; Yu Jin and Dain were also in it.
"It should be underground, and it's an Abyss Order stronghold." After a brief moment of surprise, Dain focused on the scene before him.
The eyeball on the branch was now like their own; everything it saw was immediately reflected in Lumine and Dain's minds.
"Where is the Senior?" Lumine watched for a while and noticed that their vision seemed to be unmoving, so she asked Yu Jin, the instigator of all this.
But Yu Jin did not answer because he was busy dealing with Paimon.
"Wah-yah-yah! Yu Jin, what did you do? I want in too!"
On the cliff of Stormterror's Lair, Paimon was slapping Yu Jin's armor, looking terribly anxious.
Because he noticed that after Lumine and Dain were touched by Yu Jin, they fell into a deep sleep.
Considering Yu Jin's character, Paimon figured there must be something fun going on, but Yu Jin hadn't included him, so he was anxious.
"Stop hitting! They're awake, they're awake!" Yu Jin awoke with his hands on Lumine and Dain's shoulders, while the latter two were still asleep.
Yu Jin looked at his occupied hands, then lifted his foot and said, "How about you stand by my foot, and I step on you?"
"No." Paimon crossed his arms, staring expressionlessly at Yu Jin. He felt Yu Jin was making fun of him.
"You're quite particular." Yu Jin chuckled, then a new arm shot out from behind him and grabbed Paimon's head.
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